I personally wish a reputable studio would revive the franchise. Moon Diver was a spiritual successor, and it was good, but it too was very flawed. It was fun, but it could hardly be called a proper successor to such a revered title.

The NES version kind of "holds up", since the controls were @ least managable. The arcade/Genesis version, no. The controls were a mess then & even more of a mess now.

Some games, however, yes, you did have to play it in its prime to understand some of its greatness. Although I never beat Strider, it was moments, like walking into a movie theater & playing it while you wait for your movie to start, that adds to its greatness.

A game that held up extremely well is Super Metroid! I've just recently 'revisited' the game & ended it all over again. & while it was fun & I was able to still appreciate the brilliant design, nothing beats them moments of staying up to the sun rises, playing Super Metroid back in the day.

IMO, playing a game during its era/prime adds to your personal overall enjoyment/experience.

Well, I played A Link to the Past for the first time in 2007, and I thought it was amazing. I have very fond memories of the game. I've also revisited some of my favorite games and found that I still love them. That said, I totally agree with you that some games had to be played when they gained notoriety to truly be appreciated.